Who Are the Women on the Timeline?

Writing Women Into History – Who are the women on the timeline?

Boudica b AD 33 Also known as or Boudicca, Boadicea or Boudicea, was a queen of a British Celtic tribe, the Iceni. She had been married to Prasutagus, ruler of the Iceni, but when he died the Romans decided to rule the tribe directly. As a result of their treatment of Boudica and her daughters, she led an uprising against them. Boudicca's warriors successfully defeated the Roman Ninth Legion and destroyed Colchester, London and Verulamium (St Albans). She died shortly after she was finally defeated and is said to have poisoned herself.

Saint Bertha of Kent b approx. 565 Bertha was married to King Æthelbhert and her influence on her husband was said to have led to him giving St Augustine the freedom to preach and reside in Canterbury. She was canonized as a saint for helping to re-introduction of Christianity to England

Hilda of Whitby or Hild of Whitby b approx. 614 St Hilda is a Christian saint who was a nun and the founding abbess of the monastery at Whitby. The abbey was a double monastery, home to both monks and nuns, which was not uncommon at the time. Hilda’s strength and wisdom were well known and the monastery was known for its observance of peace, charity, justice and piety. It was chosen as the venue for the Synod of Whitby, where a dispute over the date of Easter was decided. A legend tells that Hilda turned a plague of snakes to stone, explaining the ammonite fossils found in Whitby.

Wulfrun(a) b approx. 935 Wulfruna was an Anglo-Saxon noble woman who held land and property in her own right on an equal basis to Saxon noblemen. In 985 King Aethelred granted lands at a place referred to as "a Heantun" to Wulfruna by royal charter. The lands contained livestock, farms, mills, other buildings. She endowed a collegiate church there in 994 and by 1070 this had become known as ‘Wolvrenehamptonia’ (Wolfrun's heaton) now the city of Wolverhampton.

Lady Godiva b 980 Lady Godiva, or Godgifu, was a late Anglo-Saxon noblewoman and the wife of Leofric, Earl of Mercia. She is mainly remembered for a legend dating back at least to the 13th century, which says that she rode naked through the streets of Coventry covered only in her long hair to help lessen the taxes imposed by Leofric on his tenants. The name "Peeping Tom" comes from versions of this legend, in which a man named Thomas watched her ride and was struck blind.

Empress Matilda b 1102 Empress Matilda, also known as Empress Maud, was a daughter of Henry l. After his death she was one of the claimants to the English throne during the civil war, known as the Anarchy, between England and Normandy. After she gained a major victory at the Battle of Lincoln in 1141, she was declared 'Lady of England and Normandy' by the clergy, but she was not crowned as there was a revolt during the preparations for her coronation in London. Eventually she returned to Normandy and helped to establish her son as the heir to the English throne. He became Henry ll.

Margaret of Beverley b 1150 Margaret of Beverley went on crusades to the Holy Lands in the 1180s where she became involved in the fighting. She was captured and released several times until she returned to England in 1191. Her brother records her as saying, ‘Though a woman, I seemed a warrior, I threw the weapon; though filled with fear, I learned to conceal my weakness’.

Eleanor of Provence b 1223 Eleanor of Provence was the wife of Henry III. She was made regent of England in 1253 when her husband left for Gascony to launch a military expedition. His brother, Richard, was named as co-counsel, not as co- regent. Her continued collecting of taxes and fines to help fund her husband's war efforts caused resentment and made her unpopular. She remained influential during the last years of her husband’s reign. When he died her son, Edward, was away on crusade and she ensured that he was proclaimed King.

Dame Julian of Norwich b 1342 Julian (or Juliana) of Norwich, also known as Dame Julian or Mother Julian, lived practically her whole life in the English city of Norwich. During an illness in 1373, she had a series of visions or "shewings" of the Passion of Christ. She recovered from her illness and wrote two versions of her experiences, the earlier one being completed soon after her recovery and a much longer version, today known as the Long Text, written many years later. This became a book called Revelations of Divine Love, the first written in English by a woman.

Margaret of Anjou b 1430 Queen Margaret was the queen consort of King Henry VI and a leader of the Lancastrians in the Wars of the Roses, where she played a major role. She was described as having ‘Valiant courage and undaunted spirit’ and as being a woman who ‘Excelled all other, as well in beauty and favour, as in wit and policy, and was of stomach and courage, more like to a man, than a woman.’ At times during Henry’s reign she ruled the kingdom in his place. She is a character in four of William Shakespeare's plays, all three Henry VI plays and Richard III.

Susanna(h) Hornebolt b 1503 Susanna was an artist and known as the first female artist in England. She was the daughter of the Flemish artist Gerard Hornebolt and learned to paint with her father, who she worked for from 1520. She became known in Europe when Albrecht Dürer bought one of her illuminations. She is said to have painted miniatures for Henry VIII and his court.

Catherine Parr b 1512 Katherine, Katheryn, Kateryn or Katharine was the last of the six wives of King Henry VIII. She was influential in the Third Succession Act in 1543 that restored both of his daughters, Mary and Elizabeth, to the line of succession to the throne. Catherine was appointed regent from July to September 1544 while Henry was on a military campaign in France. If he lost his life, she was to rule as regent until Edward came of age. Her book ‘Prayers or Meditations’ became the first book published by an English queen under her own name. She assumed the role of Elizabeth's guardian following the King's death, and published a second book, ‘The Lamentation of a Sinner’.

Elizabeth Cavendish, Bess of Hardwick b approx. 1527 Bess Hardwick was born in Derbyshire but little is known of her early life. Bess married four times. Following the death of her first husband she joined the household of Lady Frances Grey, became a part of court life and began a friendship with Princess Elizabeth. Bess and her second husband built their wealth and social status. His death left her with exorbitant debt but she was fortunate to be made Lady of the Bedchamber when Elizabeth became queen. Her debts were paid off during her third marriage and she was left a wealthy widow. Bess and her fourth husband housed the captive Mary, Queen of Scots for Queen Elizabeth, which led to acrimony between Bess and her husband. But when he died, Bess was left second only in wealth to the Queen. She is remembered by her original family name.

Saint Margaret Ward b approx 1550 Margaret was born in Congleton, Cheshire, and was living in London in the service of a noble lady when she learned of the maltreatment of Richard Watson. He was a priest imprisoned in the Bridewell prison, near Fleet Street on the River Thames. He had been starved and shackled in a cell so small that he was unable to either stand up or lie down straight. She helped him to escape by smuggling a rope into the prison in her basket and persuading a boatman to ferry the priest across the river to safety. She was arrested for this, tried and sentenced to death.

Saint Margaret Clitherow b 1556 Margaret was brought up as a protestant but converted to Catholicism. She refused to attend the Anglican church and was repeatedly fined for refusing. Eventually, she was designated as a recusant (one who fails to attend Anglican services) and was later imprisoned for nearly a year because of this. Margaret allowed secret masses to be celebrated in her home, where she also hid Catholic missionary priests. After further imprisonments and releases, she was seized and placed on trial. She refused to plead guilty or innocent, stating that only God could judge her, and was executed.

Saint Anne Line b approx. 1563 Anne converted to Catholicism when she married. Her husband was arrested whilst attending mass and banished from England. When widowed, Anne was put in charge of a house opened as a refuge for Catholic priests. The priest who had opened it was imprisoned for about three years and Anne continued to run it during this time. She then hired apartments in another building and continued to shelter priests there. When her house was raided, she was arrested and imprisoned. At her trial she told the court that so far from regretting having concealed a priest, she only grieved that she ‘could not receive a thousand more’. She was condemned to death and executed .

Margaret Lucas Cavendish b 1623 Margaret was an English aristocrat, philosopher, poet, scientist, fiction- writer, and playwright. She was self-taught, having had access to many books when she grew up. Margaret was an advocate of education for women. She published under her own name at a time when most women writers remained anonymous. She produced over a dozen original works and, including her revised works, had a total of 21 publications. She was the first woman to attend a meeting at the Royal Society of London and engaged with members including Thomas Hobbes, René Descartes, and Robert Boyle. She has been seen as an advocate for animals and an early opponent of animal testing.

Aphra Benn b 1640 Aphra acted as a British spy, employed by King Charles II, in Antwerp. Having received no payment for this, she was imprisonment for debt and this led to her writing for an income. Aphra wrote a series of plays including tragedies, comedies and farces. 'The Rover' was her most successful. Her novel 'Oroonoko' is considered a starting point in the development of the English novel. Aphra also wrote poetry and translated works from French and Latin. She has been named as the first Englishwoman known to earn her living by writing.

Margaret Hughes b 1645 Margaret, also known as Peg, became an actress when a ban on drama was lifted in the reign of King Charles II. She was a member of the King's Company, one of two theatre companies granted the rights to mount theatrical productions in London. Margaret made theatre history at the age of 15, by becoming the first woman to perform on an English stage, when she played the role of Desdemona in Othello. A one-act play about Margaret, ‘The First Actress’, was performed in 1911 by a group of actresses sympathetic to the suffrage movement and who called themselves the Pioneer Players.

Anne Killigrew b 1660 Anne received instruction in both poetry and painting when she was growing up. Both her father and uncle were playwrights. She was encouraged to pursue her creative talents, unusual for women in the 17th century. John Dryden wrote an ode to Anne who he described as ‘The Accomplisht Young LADY Mrs Anne Killigrew, Excellent in the two Sister-Arts of Poësie, and Painting.’ Four of her paintings survive, including a full-length self-portrait.

Mary Read b 1685 It is said that Mary’s mother would dress her in her late brother’s clothes as a child, to get money from Mary’s paternal grandmother. Mary found work dressed as a boy, first as a foot-boy, and then on a ship. Later, she joined the British military as Mark Read. During her voyage to the West Indies her ship was captured by pirates, who urged her to join their ranks, dressed as a man. She was arrested as a pirate and went on trial but escaped execution as she pleaded that she was pregnant. She died from fever in her prison cell.

Lady Mary Wortley Montague b 1689 Lady Mary's brother had died of smallpox but she recovered from it. When she joined her ambassador husband in Turkey, she witnessed the practice of inoculation against smallpox. This used live smallpox virus taken from a mild smallpox blister.

This led to the person inoculated developing a mild case of smallpox and gaining immunity from it. Lady Mary was eager to spare her children from smallpox and her four year old son, Edward, was inoculated, becoming the ‘first English person to undergo the operation.’ She introduced and advocated for smallpox inoculation in Britain after her return from Turkey.

Phoebe Hessel b 1713 Phoebe dressed as a man and became a soldier at the age of 15 and so gained more freedom than women at the time. She joined the 5th Regiment of Foot and travelled widely, serving in the West Indies and Gibraltar. Phoebe continued as a soldier for 17 years and was only discharged after being wounded at the battle of Fontenoy in Belgium and found to be a woman.

Mary Somerville 1780 Mary’s father wanted her to be able to write and keep accounts and as a 10-year-old she went for a year to a boarding school. On returning home she taught herself enough Latin to read the books in her father's library. She also taught herself Greek and studied astronomy and mechanical science and advanced her studies over the years. Her second husband encouraged and aided her in the study of the physical sciences. Moving to London, she became friends with the astronomer Caroline Herschel. Mary published a book, ‘Mechanism of the Heavens’ which was acclaimed by British mathematicians and astronomers and was the first of many books. Mary and Caroline Herschel were made the first women honorary members of the Royal Astronomical Society. The term ‘scientist’ was used for the first time to describe her as the previous term for people perusing her studies was ‘man of science’.

Elizabeth Fry b 1780 Elizabeth was a Quaker and put her faith into action by teaching poor children and visiting the sick. She was asked to visit Newgate women's prison in London and observed women and their children in dreadful conditions. Elizabeth began working for prison reform. As a result of this, she was called to testify before a Royal Commission, the first woman to do so. She is less well known for being active in investigating and proposing reforms for mental asylums, nursing standards and the reform of the convict ship system. Elizabeth provided women being transported wit scraps of fabric and a sewing kit so that they could make quilts and have something to use, show their skills to potential employers or sell when they reached their destination. She also gave them a bible and items such as string, knives and forks.

Mary Anning b 1799 Mary became known for collecting what she called, at first, ‘curiosities’ and later came to know as fossils at Lyme Regis in Dorset. She helped the family finances by selling her finds to tourists. She had no formal education but educated herself to became one of the foremost authorities on fossils. She provided the data for the first ever scientific paper about the ichthyosaur, drew the first complete specimen of a plesiosaur and discovered a fossil fish that bridged sharks and rays. Her discovery of the plesiosaur made her name and people came from afar to Lyme Regis to meet her. She made other remarkable discoveries but often did not get credit for these in scientific papers on her finds. The Geological Society of London refused to admit her (they did not admit women until 1904).

Eliza Tinsley b 1813 She was born in Wolverhampton, Staffordshire, and married Thomas Tinsley. In 1851, she was widowed and inherited the nail-making business from her husband. In 1871, the company had 4,000 employees producing nails, chains, rivets and anchors. Eliza was known for having a reputation as a fair and knowledgeable business woman.

Ada Lovelace 1815 Augusta Ada King, Countess of Lovelace, was educated privately by tutors, then self-taught and later mentored in mathematics. She became interested in the Analytical Engine, considered to be the first computer, invented by Charles Babbage. Ada worked out how the machine could be programmed to compute a set of numbers. She has since been called the first computer programmer. An early programming language, Ada, was named after her. The second Tuesday in October has become Ada Lovelace Day, on which the contributions of women to science, technology, engineering, and mathematics are honoured.

Grace Horsley Darling b 1815 Grace was a lighthouse keeper’s daughter and spent much of her life living on the Farne Islands. In September 1838 a ship was wrecked on the islands. Grace saw this from the lighthouse and worked with her father to rescue the survivors. They rowed to the wreck through very rough seas and brought the first group of survivors to the lighthouse. Grace was awarded the Silver Medal for Bravery by the Royal National Institution for the Preservation of Life from Shipwreck (now RNLI) and was the first woman and the first civilian to be awarded the Royal Humane Society's gold medal.

Elizabeth Catherine Thomas Carne b 1817 Elizabeth was well educated. She read widely, studied mathematics, the classics, and learned several languages. She was aware from a young age of the need for education and social support for those less fortunate than herself. She inherited her wealth from her father and used much of it for charitable purposes. She gave land to build schools, founded other schools and built a museum to exhibit a collection of minerals. She was interested, and wrote papers on, the geology of Cornwall, contributed articles to periodicals and wrote several books. Elizabeth followed in her father’s footsteps and became the head of the Penzance bank until her death.

Josephine Elizabeth Butler b 1828 Josephine received the same education as her siblings in politics and social issues. When she married, she worked with her husband to provide shelter for some of the homeless women in the city. Using the knowledge which she had gained from working with these women, she began a campaign against the Contagious Diseases Acts of 1866 and 1869. Josephine helped to found the International Abolitionist Federation (IAF) in Liverpool, originally called the British and Continental Federation for the Abolition of Prostitution. She campaigned for women's suffrage, the right of women to better education, the abolition of child prostitution, and an end to human trafficking of young women and children into European prostitution. She was also successfully campaigned for the age of consent for marriage to be increased from 13 to 16 years.

Isabella Mary Beaton b 1836 Isabella was educated in north London and then spent two years in a school in Germany. She excelled in French and German and later translated French fiction. Once married, Isabella started writing articles on cooking and household management for her book and magazine publisher husband. He published these articles together in the book, ‘The Book of Household Management’. Isabella standardised the layout used for recipes and also included the approximate costs of each serving and the number of portions per dish. The book was a major success and led to Isabella becoming popular as Mrs. Beeton.

Elizabeth Garrett Anderson b 1836 A meeting with the suffragist Emily Davies and Elizabeth Blackwell, the first American woman physician, convinced Elizabeth Garrett that she should become a doctor. Unable to take a traditional route as this was only open to men, she took the Society of Apothecaries examinations which she passed, gaining a certificate which enabled her to become a doctor. Despite then going to the University of Paris and successfully gaining her degree in medicine, the British Medical Register refused to recognise her qualification. She established a dispensary for women in London and was made a visiting physician to the East

London Hospital. Elizabeth was appointed Dean of the London School of Medicine for Women, which she had helped to found. She also founded the New Hospital for Women in London and paved the way for other women to become doctors. Having retired to Aldeburgh in Suffolk, she became the mayor of the town, the first female mayor in England. Elizabeth was active in the women's suffrage movement, presenting a petition asking that female heads of household be given the vote and was a member of the first British Women's Suffrage Committee.

Sophia Jex Blake b 1840 Sophia’s parents would not let her attend college, but she studied with tutors and went to America to learn more about women’s education. She decided to study medicine and was eventually admitted to the Edinburgh University Medical School as one of the ‘Edinburgh Seven’ where she passed her exams, but was not awarded a degree by the university. She was, however, awarded a degree by the University of Berne and gained a further qualification in Ireland. She became the third woman in Britain registered with the General Medial Council. Sophia helped to establish the London School of Medicine for Women, founded the Edinburgh Hospital and Dispensary for Women and Children, The Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women, supported a bill enabling medical examination board to admit women candidate as well as having a private practice. She was a major figure in the women’s suffrage movement

Martha Webb b 1858 Martha, Baroness Passfield, FBA, was an English sociologist, economist, socialist, labour historian and social reformer. She was among the founders of the London School of Economics, where she taught on trade unionism and free competition in the labour market. She coined the term collective bargaining. Beatrice was an early member of the Fabian Society and co-wrote the original Clause 4 of the Labour Party’s constitution.

Elsie Inglis b 1864 Elsie studied medicine at the Edinburgh School of Medicine for Women and went on to further studies which developed her interest in surgery. She established a medical practice and a maternity hospital for Edinburgh's poor, staffed entirely by women. Elsie was a member of the National Union of Women's Suffrage Societies, and she launched the Scottish Women's Suffragette Federation. At the start of the First World War, she wanted to create medical units staffed by women to provide aid on the Western Front. This was rejected by British War Office, Red Cross and Royal Army Medical Corps. The French Government accepted her idea and Elsie’s Scottish Women's Hospitals Committee sent women doctors and nurses to war zones across Europe. She was the first woman to hold the Serbian Order of the White Eagle.

Ethel Charles b 1871 Ethel Charles was educated privately and read modern languages for a year in Oxford. She started her training as an architect and attempted to continue this by attending the Architectural Association School of Architecture but she was refused entry. Ethel completed part of the course offered by the Bartlett School of Architecture, receiving distinctions, and also passed the Royal Institute of British Architects examinations for associate membership. Despite initial opposition, she was finally granted membership, 51 voting in favour and 16 against. She made a representation to the Architectural Association for women to be accepted as a practicing architect, which happened 15 years later. She set up a practice with her sister but was unable to get large commissions as these were reserved for men. Ethel was awarded the RIBA Silver Medal and they celebrated her as a pioneer woman architect in 2017

Lilian Murray b 1871 Lilian attended the Camden School for Girls and the North London Collegiate School before entering the Edinburgh Dental Hospital and School where she qualified as LDS (Licence/Licentiate in Dental Surgery). She joined the British Dental Association and was the first woman to become a member. Lilian became honorary librarian to the BDA and founded the library, contributing her own artefacts to start the museum. She learned French, German, Latin and some Old English and Spanish to help with her historical research. She also published her translation of a landmark French work which had not been translated into English before. Lilian was sub-editor of the British Dental Journal and published papers and books. Under her married name, Dr Lilian Lindsay, she was elected the first woman president of the Association.

Grace Stewart Billings b 1872 As a girl, Grace lived with her parents and siblings at her father’s chemist’s shop in Bristol. Grace did her medical training at the London School of Medicine for Women. She sat exams for the 5-year “Triple Qualification” at the Royal College of Physicians in Edinburgh and attended the College of Medicine of the University of Durham, where she graduated with an MB and BSurg in 1898. She was the first woman to set up a medical practice in Cheltenham, accepting women patients only. During the First World War she became medical officer at St Martin’s Hospital and Grace came out of retirement to work with St John Ambulance during WW2.

Eleanor Florence Rathbone b 1872 Eleanor went to Somerville Hall, Oxford, where she studied philosophy and Roman history. Returning home, she became secretaryship of the Liverpool Women's Suffrage Society and of the local branch of the Women's Industrial Council. She volunteered as a home visitor for the Liverpool Central Relief Society, and her work led to the publication of her Report on the results of a Special Inquiry into the

10 conditions of Labour at the Liverpool Docks. Eleanor became the first woman to be elected to Liverpool City Council. In 1929 she was elected as an Independent M.P. and campaigned to introduce Family Allowances, which succeeded against great opposition, with the passing of the Family Allowance Act in the year before her death

Margaret Grace Bondfield b 1873 Margaret was working in a drapery store when she joined the National Union of Shop Assistants, Warehousemen and Clerks. She eventually became one of its full-time officials and was the first female delegate to be sent to a Trades Union Congress (TUC) conference. Margaret was later elected to the Trade Union Congress and she became its first woman chair. She acted on behalf of the Women's Trade Union League, the National Federation of Women Workers, and the Women's Co-operative Guild and became chief officer of the National Union of General and Municipal Workers. Margaret was a Member of Parliament and served first as a junior minister in the government and then as Minister of Labour. She was the first woman to reach ministerial office and the first woman to be a privy counsellor in the UK. Margaret was a suffragist and became chair of the Adult Suffrage Society, which demanded full adult suffrage. She became active in the Women’s Cooperative Guild an played an important role in the campaigns for maternity insurance benefits, child welfare, and a minimum wage for women.

Laura Knight b 1877 Dame Laura was only 13 years old when she enrolled at the Nottingham School of Art and was probably the school’s youngest ever student. She became famous for the great variety of subjects she painted that included landscapes, portraits, ballet, theatre, circus, gypsies, animals including race horses and seascapes. Laura was made an Associate of the Royal Academy and was the first woman to be elected as a Royal Academician. She was the only woman to be commissioned as an official war artist during both the first and second world wars and was the first female artist to be made a Dame of the British Empire at a time when such awards were rarely given.

Mary Macarthur b 1880 Mary was born in Glasgow and followed her father in supporting Conservative politics and was a member of the Primrose League. Mary became active in the Shop Assistants’ Union and was elected as the Union president in Scotland and was the first female representative on the Union’s National Executive. Moving to London, she became secretary of the Women’s Trade Union. She was active in the campaign to win the vote for women, opposing moves by the main suffragette organisations to settle for a limited extension of the franchise to middle class women. Mary instigated the move for the Women’s Trade Union League to became the women’s section of the TUC. She brought a number of

11 small unions together in the National Federation of Women Workers and became their general secretary. Mary then helped bring about its merger with two other unions to form the National Union of General and Municipal Workers (today’s GMB).

Dorothy Elizabeth Levitt b 1882 Dorothy was employed as a secretary by Napier & Son, an early car maker, and was asked to take part in motor sport events. Dorothy became the first English woman to compete in a motor race. She made her debut in speed competitions at the Southport Speed Trials and went on to take part in other competitions, recording a speed of 90.88 mph (146.25 km/h) and creating a new world speed record for women. Dorothy broke the record for the longest drive by a lady driver, driving from London to Liverpool and back in two days. She wrote a regular newspaper column, gave lectures encouraging women to take up driving and published a book, ‘The Woman and the Car: A Chatty Little Hand Book for Women who Motor or Want to Motor’. Dorothy took up motor yachting and won the inaugural British International Harmsworth Trophy for motor-boats and set the world's first Water Speed Record. She won the Gaston Menier Cup and the Championship of the Seas. She was described as the ‘Fastest girl on earth’.

Anne Bailey b 1890 Anne selflessly looked after her seven siblings and her father when her mother died tragically young. She had an amazing capacity for love and kindness. All of her sibling’s children were treated as her own. She inspired them and taught them, by example, how to love, care, share and behave, giving them everything in her deeds. She devoted her entire life to others and her grandchildren were proud to call Anne their grandmother. She was an ordinary woman who was really extraordinary.

Emma Ritter-Bondy b 1892 Emma was born in Austria and studied piano at the Vienna Conservatory. She moved to Scotland and continue her involvement in the Glasgow Athenaeum School of Music, where she was appointed their Professor of Piano. She became a British Citizen. It is believed that she was the first female professor of a higher education institution in the UK.

Marie-Louise Cooke b 1894 Marie-Louise gave up her home in Liège, Belgium, in 1940 (where her family had lived for 200 years) to ensure that her family would be safe. She lost everything and watched her eldest two sons go to war for Britain. They both returned. Not once was she downhearted about it nor did she complain.

Anne Loughlin b 1894 Anne took a job as a machine worker in a factory to help to support her family. She felt that conditions needed to improve and joined the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers. After leading 200 young women workers in a formal strike, she became an organizer for the 10,000-member union where she negotiated, consulted on factory conditions, and settled disputes. Anne was elected to the General Council of the Trades Union Congress, and became chair in 1943, the same year she was made a Dame of the Order of the British Empire (DBE). She was elected as the first woman general secretary of the National Union of Tailors and Garment Workers and was one of two women on the British delegation sent to the Free World Labour Conference.

Caroline Harriet Haslet b 1895 After leaving school, Caroline undertook a business secretarial course in London, where she also joined the Women’s Social and Political Union (WSPU). She went to the Cochran boiler Company as a clerk and transferred to the Cochran workshops during World War I. Here she acquired basic engineering training and from then on became a pioneer for women in the electrical and professional world. She became the first secretary of the Women's Engineering Society (WES) and first editor of ‘The Woman Engineer’ magazine. Caroline helped to found Atalanta Ltd, an engineering firm for women. She also co- founded and became the first director of the Electrical Association for Women and was the first female chairman of the British Electrical Development Association. A major achievement was her appointment as a member of body which was formed to run the industry under national ownership. Caroline became vice-president and president of the International Federation of Business and Professional Women. In recognition of her services, she was made a Commander of the Order of the British Empire and was created a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Jane Haining b 1897 Jane attended her local village school where she was an outstanding pupil and won a scholarship to Dumfries Academy. At the academy she had won 41 prizes, with high marks in English, Latin, Maths, French and German. At a meeting of the Glasgow Jewish Mission, she listened to a talk about missionary work and decided to become a missionary. She attended a women’s missionary college for further training and, when she qualified, went to work as a matron at a Church of Scotland Jewish Mission School in Hungary. She refused to return home and stayed in Budapest when the second world war started. She was taken for questioning by the Gestapo and eight charges were laid against her, including working among Jews, visiting British prisoners of war and listening to the BBC. Jane was deported to Auschwitz, where she was forced to endure hard labour and died. She was recognized by Yad Vashem in Israel for having risked her life to help Jews during the Holocaust.

Attracta Genevieve Candon b 1897 Attracta studied medicine and worked as an Assistant Schools Medical Officer in Sheffield, before working at Great Ormond Street Hospital and in private practice. She was the Navy’s first female doctor, where her role was to check the fitness of those joining the Women’s Royal Naval Service. She was paid less than her male counterparts in the Royal Navy. The Medical Women's Federation objected to this, on the grounds that male and female doctors were paid equally elsewhere. She was appointed to the Relative Rank of Surgeon-Lieutenant in the Royal Naval Volunteer Reserve, and went on to promotions as Temporary Acting Surgeon Lieutenant, Temporary Acting Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander, and Temporary Surgeon Lieutenant-Commander.

Thirza Norman b 1897 Thirza, known as Trixie, had a thyroid condition and this led to her having a permanent tracheostomy in the early 1950s. She devised a way to manage this safely herself, so that she could still speak and lead a normal life. After the unexpected death of her husband, she lived alone, with regular family visits. She travelled to help her family, including helping them with new arrivals and enjoying her time with her grandchildren. She was described as ‘A miracle’ by a midwife she met at one of the home births. She helped to create the strong family bonds whish still exist between the children, grandchildren and great-grandchildren.

Cecilia Payne b 1900 Cecilia went to the University of Cambridge, where she was inspired to become an astronomer. But she felt that there were more opportunities for a woman to work in astronomy in the United States than in Britain. She received a fellowship to study at the Harvard College Observatory. In her Ph.D. thesis she proposed that stars were composed mostly of hydrogen and helium. She published several books and she was elected as a Fellow of the American Academy of Arts and Sciences. Cecilia was eventually appointed a full professor at Harvard and became Chairman of the Astronomy Department.

Kathleen Drew Baker b 1901 Kathleen won a County Major Scholarship to study botany at the University of Manchester. She was one of the first two women to graduate with first class honours from the university and also gained an MSc and DSc there. Her academic research made a lasting contribution to the development of commercial nori seaweed production, widely used in sushi and other staples of Japanese cuisine. Because of the impact that her research made, she was named ‘Mother of the Sea’ in Japan, and since 1953, an annual "Drew festival" is celebrated in the city of Uto, Kumamoto in Japan, where a shrine to her was also erected.

Sheila Borrett b 1903 Sheila was a former actress employed by the BBC to become the first ever female announcer on the National Service. After just three months, she was fired after the BBC received thousands of complaints from listeners who were uncomfortable with having a woman on the radio.

Dame Elizabeth Lane b 1905 Elizabeth studied law and was called to the bar at the Inner Temple. She joined the Midland Circuit and was appointed King’s Councel, only the third female KC in England She held numerous distinguished positions, including Commissioner of the Crown Courts in Manchester and the first woman county court judge. She also became first female High Court Judge in England. Upon her appointment to the Family Division of the High Court in 1965, she was created Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire.

Ethel Hyde b 1905 Ethel was born in Lower Gornal worked there all her life. A gentle, quiet and unassuming woman, she never married and was dedicated to bringing new life into the world. Working at a time when most women worked at home, she could be seen walking between visits, whatever the weather, dressed in her recognisable uniform. She helped those in need, both when she was working and when she had retired. She worked for 40 years as a midwife and is remembered for this on her grave stone.

Dorothy Leslie b 1907 Having completed a degree in chemistry at King’s College, London, Dorothy was appointed to Horsham High School for Girls, where she remained until retirement in 1967, teaching science and religious studies. Her lack of a sense of smell added some excitement to her science lessons. Dorothy’s interest in her pupils led her to being able to recall them years after she had taught them. Her interest extended to the wider community, who she supported in many practical ways. After retirement, she became a Samaritan and learned how to send and receive emails. She was awarded an MBE for services to the Samaritans and to the community in Horsham. Her obituary summed her up well as being greatly loving and greatly loved and a good friend who believed that she was called not to be served, but to serve.

Beatrice (Tilly) Shilling b 1909 Beatrice said that, as a child, she ‘played with Meccano. I spent my pocket money on penknives, an adjustable spanner, a glue pot and other simple hand tools’. She displayed a passion for mechanical engineering, and by 14 years old she owned her first motorcycle, which she maintained herself. In the 1930s she was able to lap Brooklands at 106mph (170kph), making her the second woman to earn the British Motorcycle Racing Club’s Gold Star for plus-100mph laps. On leaving secondary school she was apprenticed to an electrical engineer. Her employer was a founder member

15 of the Women’s Engineering Society. Tilly went to Manchester University and gained a degree in electrical engineering, following with a master’s in mechanical engineering. At the start of World War ll she was promote to Technical Officer at the Royal Aircraft Establishment (RAE) in Farnborough. She designed and developed ‘Miss Shilling's orifice’ to restrict fuel flow to the carburettor in the Hawker Hurricane and Supermarine Spitfire engines.

Dorothy Crowfoot Hodgkin b 1910 Dorothy was encouraged by her mother to pursue the interest in crystals that she first displayed at age 10. She fought to be allowed to study science along with the boys at school and was accepted later to read for a degree in chemistry at Oxford University. Following a move to Cambridge University to carry out doctoral research, she was offered a temporary research fellowship at Somerville, one of Oxford’s few colleges for women, remaining there until her retirement. Dorothy established an X-ray laboratory and was asked to solve the structure of penicillin. Her work on this was recognized by her election to the Royal Society, only two years after a woman had been elected for the first time. She discovered the structure of vitamin B, which led to her election as the first Wolfson Research Professor of the Royal Society. Nominated more than once for the Nobel Prize, she won it in 1964 for her work on penicillin and vitamin B. Dorothy was made a member of the Order of Merit, Britain’s highest honour for achievement in science, the arts, and public life.

Odette Sansom Hallowes b 1910 Odette was born in France and moved to Britain when she married. During the Second World War she was recruited by the Special Operations Executive (SOE), the wartime secret service that handled sabotage. She was sent behind enemy lines in France and worked there for the SOE, but was eventually arrested and spent the rest of the war imprisoned in Ravensbrück Concentration Camp. Sansom was the first woman to be awarded the George Cross by the United Kingdom and was awarded the Légion d'honneur by France.

Rosa Parks b 1913 Rosa went to the Montgomery Industrial School for Girls in Montgomery, Alabama and gained her high school diploma at a time when less than 7% of African Americans gained them. She was an activist in the civil rights movement. In 1955 she refused to give up her seat to a white man on a Montgomery, Alabama bus which led to the Montgomery Bus Boycott. This lasted for more than a year, during which time Rosa lost her job, and ended when the U.S. Supreme Court ruled that bus segregation was unconstitutional. The United States Congress has called her "the first lady of civil rights" and "the mother of the freedom movement’.

Winifred Foley b 1914 Winifred (born Mason) wrote about her life growing up in the Forest of Dean. Her career as a writer began in her 60s, when her handwritten stories were serialised on BBC radio’s Woman’s Hour before being published as the book ‘A Child in the Forest’. She followed this with more books about her life as well as short novels, and made several recordings of her work.

Roberta Cowell b 1918 Roberta left school at the age of 16 to join General Aircraft Limited as an apprentice aircraft engineer, but soon left to join the Royal Air Force. She was a Spitfire pilot and subsequently a prisoner of war in World War II. After the war she founded a motor-racing team and competed in events across Europe, including the Brighton Speed Trials and the Grand Prix at Rouen-Les-Essarts. She was the first known British trans woman to undergo sex reassignment surgery.

Katherine Johnson b 1918 Katherine was one of the first three black people allowed to study at West Virginia University. She began working in aeronautics as a "computer" (mathematicians who made and checked calculations for technological developments), and with NASA performed the calculations needed to send astronauts into orbit and eventually to the moon. Katherine then worked on the development the Space Shuttle programme and Earth Resources Satellite. Little was known about the achievement of Katherine and her colleagues until the publication of the book ‘Hidden Figures: The American Dream and the Untold Story of the Black Women Who Helped Win the Space Race’. Katherine received the Presidential Medal of Freedom and NASA dedicated a new research building to her, the Katherine G. Johnson Computational Research Facility.

Rosalind Elsie Franklin b 1920 Rosalind knew from the age of 15 that she wanted to be a scientist. Having been to Cambridge University, she began work during the Second World War and under the National Service Acts, worked as an assistant research officer at the British Coal Utilisation Research Association. She then moved to Paris, where she pioneered the use of X-rays to create images of crystallized solids. As a research associate at King's College London, her expertise was used in studying the structure of DNA. One of the X-ray diffraction photos, known as Photograph 51, was used by Crick and Watson as the basis for their model of DNA. Rosalind moved to Birkbeck to lead pioneering work at on the molecular structures of viruses before her early death. Although her works on coal, RNA and viruses were appreciated in her lifetime, her contributions to the discovery of the structure of DNA were largely recognised posthumously.

Janine de Greef b 1925 Janine was born in Belgium and, when she was 16 years old, became a member of the Belgian reistance. She was part of the ‘Comet Line’ which helped allied airmen travel through France to neutral Spain. Janine and her family are credited with saving more than 320 of the 800 or so Allied airmen who survived being shot down over Belgium. After the war, she was awarded the King's Medal for Courage in the Cause of Freedom as well as French and Belgian gallantry medals.

Sybil Theodora Phoenix b 1927 Sybil was born in Guyana and joined as a full member of her church at an early age. When she left school, became secretary to a church minister. She helped in the church youth club and did a three-year course of evening classes in social work. The British Council of Churches arranged for a placement at Notting Hill Citizen’s Advice Bureau, London and she moved to England. After some difficult years, Sybil founded the Moonshot Club with events, counselling for members and classes to enable people to get better educational qualifications. It was common for 500 people to gather there every night. Sybil and her husband founded the Marsha Phoenix Memorial Trust, a supported housing project for single homeless young women aged from 16 to 24. Sybil became the first black woman to be awarded the MBE, in recognition of her outstanding work in the community. She also received an OBE for services to the community and became a Freeman of the London Borough Of Lewisham and a Freeman of the City of London.

Joyce Perry b approx 1927 Following the birth of her twins, Joyce began to campaign to improve standards in maternity care. She was particularly concerned that women were left alone throughout labour. She wrote to the Queen, organised petitions, appeared on TV, was interviewed by the Health Minister and received the backing of many MPs. She was backed by the Association for Improvement of Maternity Services and following Joyce’s campaign, the NHS revised the policy so that fathers, or a close relative, could stay with the woman. Joyce received no financial help with this and undertook various fundraising activities so that she could continue with her campaign. Joyce was a member of Wordsley Townswomen’s Guild.

Betty Boothroyd b 1929 Betty began her career as a dancer and performed with the Tiller Girls, a successful stage and television act. She changed direction and worked as an assistant to Labour MPs and stood four times, unsuccessfully, for Parliament. Betty won a seat on the Hammersmith Borough Council and finally won the seat as MP for West Bromwich. She was appointed to the Speaker’s Panel of Chairmen and subsequently became Deputy Speaker and finally elected as the first

18 female speaker of the House. She sought to modernize the role of speaker and was respected for the firm style she used in managing the House of Commons. The year after she retired, she was created a life peer, taking the title Baroness Boothroyd, of Sandwell. She was appointed to the Order of Merit an honour in the personal gift of the Queen.

Joan Maureen (Biddy) Baxter b 1933 Studying at Durham University, Biddy noticed careers information about working for the BBC. After graduating with a social sciences degree, she joined the BBC as a studio manager and then became a producer of schools' English programmes and ‘Listen with Mother’. Biddy then became producer of the children’s programme ‘Blue Pete’ and remained directly responsible for the programme for the next 26 years. She devised and introduced the Blue Peter badge and many of the features which still remain. She also introduced a card index system to ensure that children who wrote to the programme would not receive the same letter twice. Biddy received an MBE in recognition of her work as editor of Blue Peter and a Special Award at the BAFTA Children's Awards.

Margaret (Peggy) Braithwaite b 1934 Peggy moved to Walney Island when her father became assistant keeper of the lighthouse. In turn, she became assistant keeper until being promoted to principal keeper, the only woman principal lighthouse-keeper in Britain. She not only maintained the lamp but also painted the lighthouse 11 times, twice from her bosun's chair. Peggy was awarded the MBE ten years before she retired.

Air Transport Auxiliary - ‘Bomber Girls’ - formed 1939 The Air Transport Auxiliary (ATA) was a civilian organization ferrying RAF and RN warplanes between factories, maintenance units and front-line squadrons. The first 8 women joined ATA in 1940. The women were restricted to flying non- operational types of plane, such as trainers or communications aircraft. They were paid 20% less than the men. Equal flying opportunities became available and Winnie Crossley was the first woman to fly a Hurricane fighter. First Officer Lettice Curtis became the first woman to fly a 4-engined bomber, an achievement shared by just 11 ATA women. In 1943, the women were awarded equal pay to the men, making ATA one of the first Equal Opportunities Employers. 168 women employed in total including trail-blazing pilot Amy Johnson.

Boatwomen's Training Scheme - ‘Idle Women’ - founded 1942 Women were recruited and trained to work on the canals, transporting mainly coal and munitions by barge across the UK via the inland waterways. The women wore badges with the initials ‘I W’, which stood for Inland Waterways, but led to the nickname ‘Idle Women’. The girls crewed in threes, but sometimes events they had

19 to manage with two. Each crew carried loads of about 50 tonnes in a barge with an engine and a butty which had no engine. A round trip could take two or three weeks and they worked 12 to 14-hour days.

Brenda Hale born 1945 Brenda Hale, Baroness Hale of Richmond, became the first woman to sit on Britain’s Supreme Court in 2014 and the first family lawyer to fill the post. She began her career teaching law at the University of Manchester, becoming Professor of Law in 1986. She was appointed to the Law Commission in 1984 and spent ten years re- defining the face of family law. She was made QC in 1989, and a High Court judge in 1994.

Women's Timber Corps – ‘Lumber Jills’ – founded 1942 This was formed in 1942 to cover the labour shortage in forestry and the German occupation of Norway, which caused a shortage of timber to import. Lumber Jills worked from 7am to 4:30 and did all the jobs involved with forestry including felling, loading, driving tractors, working with horses and operating sawmills. A more specialist skill was measuring, which was the job of assessing the amount of timber in a tree, measuring the amount of timber felled, surveying new woodlands and identifying trees for felling.

Kathryn Ann Bigelow b 1951 Kathryn was born in California and entered the graduate film programme at Columbia University, where she studied theory and criticism and earned her master's degree. Her first full-length feature was ‘The Loveless’. She directed ‘The Hurt Locker’, which was first shown at the Venice Film Festival. She won the Directors Guild of America award for Outstanding Directorial Achievement in Motion Pictures, becoming the first woman to win the award, and also received a Golden Globe nomination for her direction. In 2010, she won the award for Best Director and ‘The Hurt Locker’ won Best Picture at the 63rd British Academy Film Awards. She became the first woman to receive an Academy Award for Best Director, the fourth woman in history to be nominated for the honour, and only the second American woman. Kathryn won the New York Film Critics Circle Award for Best Director for the film ‘Zero Dark Thirty’ making her the first woman to win the award twice.

Judith Weir b 1954 Judith studied with Sir John Tavener when she was still at school. After graduating from Cambridge, she became Artistic Director of the Spitalfields Festival in London and held the post of Composer in Association for the City of Birmingham Symphony

Orchestra. Judith received the Lincoln Center's Stoeger Prize, the South Bank Show music award and the Incorporated Society of Musicians Distinguished Musician Award. She was the third recipient of The Queen's Medal for Music and was Visiting Distinguished Research Professor in Composition in Cardiff University. She was awarded the CBE for services to music and appointment as the Master of the Queen's Music. The first public performance of her arrangement of the National Anthem was performed at the reburial of King Richard III at Leicester Cathedral.

Patricia Scotland 1955 Patricia, Baroness Scotland of Asthal, was elected as the sixth Secretary-General of the Commonwealth of Nations.at the 2015 Commonwealth Heads of Government Meeting. She is the first woman to hold the post. A barrister by profession, she became the first black woman to be appointed a Queen's Counsel. As an MP she served in several ministerial positions including as Attorney General for England when she was the first woman to hold the office since its foundation in 1315, and Advocate General for Northern Ireland. Patricia was listed as one of BBC's 100 Women.

Monica Mary Grady b 1958 Monica graduated from the University of Durham, went on to complete a PhD on carbon in stony meteorites at Cambridge University and curated the UK's national collection of meteorites based at the Natural History Museum. She is a Fellow of the Royal Astronomical Society, a Fellow of the Mineralogical Society of Great Britain and Ireland and was President of the Meteoritical Society. She was awarded the Coke Medal of the Geological Society of London for her work in science communication and gave the Royal Institution Christmas Lectures on the subject "A Voyage in Space and Time". She was appointed Commander of the Order of the British Empire and Asteroid (4731) was named Monicagrady in her honour.

Merlita Bryan b 1951 Merlita was born in Jamaica in 1951 and moved to Nottingham aged 11. She gained a qualification in hairdressing and studied Trade Union Politics before becoming a Nottingham City Councillor. She was appointed as the first black, female, Sheriff of Nottingham, followed by being elected the Lord Mayor. Merlita introduced the Black Achievers Award to highlight the incredible contribution black people make, and continue to recognise them as role models in the community.

Karen Harrison b 1960 Karen applied for an apprenticeship with British Rail with the aim of becoming a train driver. At the interview she was guided towards secretarial duties, but would not be put off from what she wanted to do. She was to become the first woman in Britain to be appointed as a train driver. For her first ten years in the industry, she encountered resistance from those who disapproved of the presence of a woman in this occupation, which was seen as being only for men. After this ] time, she began to hold various positions in the Associated Society of Locomotive Engineers and Firemen (ASLEF), and was eventually elected to preside over ASLEF's annual conference, The Annual Assembly of Delegates.

Rebecca Stephens b 1961 Rebecca trained as a journalist and went to explore the question, "Why do climbers climb?" with an expedition attempting to climb the North East Ridge of Mount Everest. She returned to Everest on a British expedition and reached the summit, becoming the first British woman to do so. She went on to become the third woman, and the first British woman, to climb the highest mountains on each of the seven continents. Rebecca has been to the South Magnetic Pole and Antarctica, crossed the South Atlantic island of South Georgia and competed in an eight-day Eco-Challenge, which consisted of running, biking and canoeing across the Canadian Rockies. Rebecca was also appointed an MBE.

Helen Patricia Sharman b 1963 Helen was a chemist and technologist who replied to a radio advert to become the first British astronaut. She was selected on ITV which from about 13,000 other applicants. Helen took part in the Soyuz mission which lasted for eight days which she spent conducting scientific experiments. She was the first Briton cosmonaut, first Western European woman in space and the first woman to visit the Mir space station. Helen received an OBE, an Honorary Fellow of the Royal Society of Chemistry (HonFRSC) and was appointed a Companion of the Order of St Michael and St George (CMG) for services to Science and Technology Outreach. The British School in the Netherlands is named the Helen Sharman School after her.

Kamala Harris b 1964 Kamala Harris was born in California. She studied at the University of California and earned the US law qualification of JD, Juris Docite. Following further study, she began her career as a deputy district attorney and went on to become San Francisco district attorney. Kamala became the first African American and the first woman to hold the position of California Attorney General. She became a US Senator, becoming the second African American woman and first South Asian American to enter the Senate. She

22 became the United States' first female vice president, the highest-ranking female official in U.S. history, and the first African American and first Asian American vice president.

Özlem Türeci 1967 With her husband, Özlem founded a pharmaceuticals company which developed antibodies that stop the growth of cancer cells. They sold the company and founded their second company, BioNTech, whose objectives were also focused on the development of cancer therapies. BioNTech began conducting research on a vaccine against the infectious disease COVID-19 and they developed the first approved messenger RNA- based vaccine against COVID-19 in 2020.

Karren Brady b 1969 Karren, Baroness Brady, was voted as Business Woman of the Year, Ultimate Entrepreneur and rated among the 50 most inspirational people in the world. She was appointed as Managing Director of Birmingham City Football Club when the club was in administration and became the youngest Managing Director of a UK plc, when she floated the club on the London Stock Exchange. Karren sold the club and joined the board of West Ham United, where she negotiated the club’s move to London’s Olympic Stadium. She received a CBE for services to business, entrepreneurship and women in business. Karren was the Small Business Ambassador to the UK Government under Prime Minister David Cameron.

Stella McCartney b 1971 Stella worked for Christian Lacroix and as an intern at British Vogue before enrolling in Central Saint Martin’s College of Art and Design. Two years after her graduation she was invited to become the head designer at the fashion house ‘Chloe’ in Paris and went on to become of the most renowned fashion designers in the world. Running her own brand called ‘Stella McCartney’, she uses no leather or fur in her designs and is an animal rights advocate. She was appointed Team GB's Creative Director for the 2012 Olympics. Stella was awarded an OBE for services to fashion in 2013.

Sayeeda Hussain Warsi b 1971 Sayeeda, Baroness Warsi, qualified as a solicitor and became the first Muslim woman to be selected to stand for Parliament by the Conservative Party. She did not win the seat but served as a Special Adviser for Community Relations, and as Vice Chair of the Conservative Party with specific responsibility for cities. She was appointed a life peer and became the youngest member of the House of Lords. Sayeeda served as co-Chairwoman of the Conservative Party, Minister of State for the Foreign and

Commonwealth Office and the Minister of State for Faith and Communities. She was the first Muslim to attend Cabinet.

Katharine Viner b 1971 Katharine had her first newspaper article published in The Guardian while she was still at school. At university she won a competition organised by The Guardian's women's page and was advised by Guardian women's editor to pursue a career in journalism. After working in a variety of jobs in magazines and newspapers, and heading The Guardian's web operations in Australia and the United States. Katharine was appointed editor- in-chief of the Guardian, the first woman to be the editor in its 194-year history.

Jacqueline Anne Oatley b1975 Jacqui initially studied print journalism and radio production. While studying at Sheffield Hallam University, she joined BBC Radio Leeds as a sports reporter. She joined BBC Radio 5 Live and became the first woman to commentate on a football match on British network radio. She went on to became the first female football commentator in the history of BBC football on the programme ‘Match of the Day’, She was awarded the MBE for serving broadcasting and diversity in sports.

Claire Williams b 1976 Claire became a press officer for the Silverstone racing circuit after graduating. She joined the Williams F1 team as a communications officer, became Head of Communications for the team before being promoted to Director of Marketing and Communications. Claire became the Williams family representative on the board and was appointed deputy team principal. She felt that there should be more jobs for women in Formula 1 and offered team apprenticeships for women and urged Williams’ female employees to be ambassadors so that women could get a good understanding of the skills required to work in high-end motor sports. Williams was appointed an OBE for services to Formula 1 racing.

Shabana Mahmood b 1980 Shabana is a qualified barrister, specialising in professional indemnity. Elected MP for Birmingham Ladywood, she became one of the UK's first female Muslim MPs. She was appointed a Shadow Home Affairs Minister, later becoming a Shadow Minister for Business, Innovation and Skills; Shadow Financial Secretary to the Treasury; and Shadow Chief Secretary to the Treasury. Shabana was elected to represent the Parliamentary Labour Party on Labour's National Executive Committee and was one of the vice chairs of Labour's National Policy Forum. She has also served on the Public

Accounts Committee. Shabana was nominated for the Politician of the Year award at the British Muslim Awards, named as one of the winners of the women's magazine ‘Marie Claire's’ Women at the Top Awards and as one of the Brummies Who Inspire in celebration of the 175th anniversary of Birmingham City University.

Kelly Caswell-Treen b 1983 Kelly is a combat medic who served on operational tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. She is the first female to be appointed to the role of Company Sergeant Major (CSM) at the Royal Military Academy Sandhurst and is a Warrant Officer Class 2. She is in charge of overseeing the training of up to 120 officer cadets and the work of colour sergeants and staff sergeants, as well as mentoring others and maintaining discipline. She explained why she had been appointed. ‘It is for the hard work, determination and merit – not based on the fact I am a female.

Amelia Russell b 1983 Amelia represented her County at athletics and learned to row in her first year at university. She represented her College and University in athletics and learned to fly with the RAF University Air Squadron. When working as a casualty doctor at a south London hospital, she was part of a duo who succeeded in walking the North Pole without external assistance. This was partly to raise funds for the charity ‘Help for Heroes’, but also motivated by an interest in the area. She became the first British woman to do this

Jessica Ennis-Hill b 1986 Aged 14, Jessica won the Sheffield Federation for School Sports Whitham Award for the best performance by a Sheffield athlete at the National Schools Championships, where she won the high jump competition. Her first major international heptathlon victory was at the European junior championships. In heptathlon, she is an Olympic champion, a three-time world champion and a European champion She is also the 2010 World Indoor Pentathlon Champion. Jessica is a former British national record holder for the heptathlon, former British record holder in the 100 metres hurdles, the high jump and the indoor pentathlon. Jessica was made a CBE and a Dame Commander of the Order of the British Empire (DBE).

Alexandra Wilson b 1995 Alexandra is a barrister specialising in criminal and family law. She studied at the University of Oxford and was awarded two prestigious scholarships, enabling her to research the impact of police shootings in the US on young people’s attitudes to the police. She studied for a Graduate Diploma in Law and her Master of Law. Alexandra was awarded the first Queen’s scholarship by the Honourable Society of the Middle

Temple. She is the founder of Black Women in Law and co- founded One Case At A Time, an organisation set up to assist disenfranchised minorities in the legal process. She has written a book, In Black and White, about her experiences in court and what that has taught her about the law.

Malala Yousafzai b 1997 Malala is an activist who, as a teenager, spoke out publicly against the prohibition on the education of girls in Pakistan. Under an assumed name, she began writing regularly for BBC Urdu about her daily life. She made television appearances, receiving coverage in local and international media, and became known as a blogger. She was nominated for the International Children’s Peace Prize and awarded Pakistan’s first National Youth Peace Prize. She gained global attention when she survived an assassination attempt at age 15. She became the youngest person to win the Liberty Medal, awarded to public figures striving for people’s freedom throughout the world. She won Nobel Peace Prize, becoming the youngest Nobel laureate.